Joseph Vincent Matteo, 31, of Hayes, who escaped May 6, was picked up in a traffic stop in Clark County in the southwestern corner of the state, Nicely said.

Maj. Danny Diggs of the Gloucester Sheriff's Office gave this account:

A police officer in La Center, Wash., stopped a vehicle because she knew the registered owner had a suspended license. La Center is about 20 miles north of Portland, Ore.

Matteo, a passenger, identified himself as Kevin Kelley, a name that did not check out when an officer did a computer search. Matteo gave three more false names before admitting who he was and that he was wanted in Virginia.

Matteo was arrested without incident about 7:30 p.m. on the escape charge, as well as on three forgery charges from Seattle in 1992.

He is in the Clark County jail awaiting an extradition hearing.

Diggs, who is in charge of the Gloucester jail, said security has been increased since the escape.

Another inmate, Stephen L. Sain, 22, has been charged with helping Matteo escape by boosting him to where he could grab onto horizontal chain-link fencing atop an enclosed recreation yard.

Diggs said Matteo, who is 6 feet tall and weighs 140 pounds, was able to use the fencing like monkey bars to get 30 feet across the enclosure, dangling 16 feet above ground, to a small platform that holds a security camera. From there, he was able to push up the fencing, which is secured by bolts, to create a small opening to squeeze through.

"It's amazing. Nobody could believe he got through it," Diggs said.

Matteo was being held without bond in a series of burglaries, including several at Gloucester churches. When he was arrested on those charges, he was found hiding in a shallow crawl space under a house on Maryus Road.

Judith Haynes can be reached at (804)642-1734 or by e-mail at jhaynes@dailypress.com